1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of firearms, and in particular to devices that deflect spent ammunition cartridge cases away from a rifleman as they are ejected through the ejection port of an automatic or semiautomatic rifle while the rifle is being fired, such rifles including those of the U.S. Army's M4 series. The M4 designation refers to military-style carbines with collapsible buttstocks and shortened barrels. This invention relates further to such devices that, when mounted to a rifle, do not prohibit or obstruct the attachment of a rifle telescope or carrying handle to the rifle, and that can rapidly switch between an extended, cartridge-case-deflecting position and a retracted position.
2. Background Art
Semiautomatic and automatic rifles, including the M4 series of rifles, are generally comprised of an upper receiver, a lower receiver that attaches to a lower portion of the upper receiver, a barrel assembly that attaches to a front portion of the upper receiver, and an ammunition magazine that inserts into a magazine well of the lower receiver. As the rifle is being fired, spent ammunition cartridge cases are ejected through an ejection port, which is usually located on the right side of the upper receiver, in which case the trajectory of the ejected cartridge cases is generally rightwards and rearwards with respect to the rifle and the rifleman who is firing the rifle. Consequently, the hot, spent cartridge cases will occasionally impact the head or shoulders of the rifleman, sometimes causing burns and other injuries. This is especially the case for a left-handed rifleman who, when firing the rifle, places the butt of the rifle against his left shoulder such that the right side of his face is positioned immediately to the rear of the ejection port.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,808 to Carey disclosed a combination spent cartridge case deflector and catcher, and breech block actuator for an automatic shotgun. The combination was comprised of a generally planar frame for attachment in vertical orientation to the side of the gun's receiver, and generally parallel therewith, in the area of the ejector port. A lower section of the planar frame supported a removable connection for a spent cartridge case catcher. The spent cartridge case catcher was a generally planar tab with an upper portion that was a generally planar platform oriented substantially perpendicular to the lower portion of the catcher. When the upper portion of the cartridge case catcher was installed on a shotgun, it extended into the ejection port opening, and a resilient plug located on an upper section of the planar frame was disposed generally midway along the length of the ejection port to direct a spent cartridge case downward so that the cartridge case would not fly far away from the user of the gun.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,615 to Brunton disclosed a new rifle receiver body for an M-16 rifle that incorporated a deflector portion adapted to divert spent cartridge cases away from the person of the user. The deflector was a boss located at the rear of the ejection port that jutted out from the right side of the rifle body.
The spent ammunition cartridge deflecting devices disclosed by Carey and by Brunton lack the capabilities and features of the present invention, viz: the ability to be mounted to a semiautomatic or automatic rifle without prohibiting or obstructing attachment of a rifle telescope or carrying handle to the rifle, and the ability to rapidly switch between an extended, cartridge-case-deflecting position and a retracted position.